That new kid on the block
by xLovely-Little-Psychopathx
Summary: With John away, Sherlock is left to live in the same building with an eccentric teen who is determined to try and challenge him every chance she gets, will it form a friendship or will they just end up killing each other?
1. Johns fault

**Hi! This is my new fanfiction; I've decided to start Sherlock because I totally love it and would love to write fanfiction for it. I also write for Doctor who, Lord of the Rings and Once Upon a Time so if you're a fan I'd be grateful if you can read my other stories too. **

**I also have a fandom page on Facebook, links are on my profile page and I post Sherlock stuff on my page regularly so if you want to like my page then please do!**

**Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 1: John's fault.

It was all John's fault, with his stupid ideas and his stupid sister making him have those ideas; in the future Sherlock was sure to stop John from ever deciding things again.

Because John (stupid) had only gone and decided to go to his sister's house for a holiday. And so Sherlock was left on his own for a whole week, on his own and was bored out of his mind.

There was no one to make the tea…well there was Mrs Hudson but John always made the tea, especially after a case. There was no one to argue with, to talk at even if they weren't there, there was no one to get milk (Mrs Hudson did…but still wasn't John) and there were no blogs to read.

Because his blogger was not there.

Not for a second did Sherlock think he was missing his friend, because Sherlock Holmes was a perfectly brilliant genius who never meddled with messy emotions that could get in the way of his logical thinking. John was simply useful was all, and it messed everything up when he wasn't there….

Ok. Maybe he missed him a little.

Right now, Sherlock was but a curled up heap on the couch with a duvet thrown over him. His unruly curls were matted by the amount of fidgeting he was doing, for he was not sleeping or resting but was simply sulking and was bored. Sherlock hated been bored, he was usually able to shoot the wall when he was restless like this. John had taken his gun.

"Sherlock dear? Are you awake?" The gentle voice of Mrs Hudson came floating towards him as the old woman came closer; he felt a hand grasp his shoulder and sighed.

"Yes Mrs Hudson, I'm awake which you would have noticed if you'd observed my breathing pattern, and through that you wouldn't have needed to bother me as you'd have had your answer".

Mrs Hudson sighed at the rude tone, she knew the poor dear was missing John already but he really was a cretin when in these moods.

"Now, I'll not have that tone. I just popped up to say Lianna has arrived and I need you to watch her for a bit, I need to get a shop in and well…she's a bit of a handful to be dragging round a store".

Lianna? Now why did that name sound familiar….ah yes. Mrs Hudson had told them last week that her Granddaughter was coming to stay as her daughter was going through a divorce and didn't want Lianna getting caught up in it all. Naturally Sherlock had purposely forgotten this as soon as he was told. It was irrelevant to him.

"There are babysitters in London Mrs Hudson. Quite a few in fact".

"She's sixteen Sherlock, she doesn't need a babysitter. Just make sure she doesn't wander off anywhere, I'll only be an hour or two. Do you want anything getting?"

"The milk's run out again" came the muffled reply.

"Fine, just this once though. I'm not your housekeeper".

Sherlock didn't move through the whole conversation, he was so wrapped up in his own head that he didn't even realise Mrs Hudson had left as he called out to get some biscuits too. When no answer came, he finally turned his head and surveyed his empty flat.

"Bored. Stupid John, can't even hack into his laptop or shoot the wall, can't even have tea now. Bored. Bored. Bored".

"The square root of Pi is 1.772453851".

Sherlock's head whipped around so fast it made a cracking sound, making the new addition to the room wince and hold her hands up in apology.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you".

His eyes narrowed at this pest, the girl was leaning against the door with her hands now folded round her waist and had the cheek to raise her eyebrows as Sherlock began to lazily observe her.

Brown hair, fake blue highlights, slight static and indents through the hair where she'd run her hands through it.

Locket round the neck was old and hidden by another necklace: obviously a sentimental present she wore all the time and couldn't bring herself to take off.

Eye makeup was smudged and he could see a slight black stain on the hands where she'd rubbed her eyes: not too bothered about wearing the makeup yet insecure enough to not leave her face plain.

"If you're done staring me down. I believe I told you something".

Ah yes, the square root of Pi…. "Don't try to be impressive, the short sequence of those numbers can be remembered by anyone who has studied it enough. It's part of the limited photographic memory that you all have".

"Then why don't others remember it? Not many people would know that".

"There is no incentive for anyone to learn it. It is irrelevant".

"I can do Sudoku's in 3 minutes. Not even Nan can do it in that time".

"A visual memory then. Can you remember 20 words in a list after seeing them for 2 minutes?"

Lianna shuffled her feet for a moment but was grinning; Sherlock was confused as to what she was trying to engage him in.

"No, but I can write pretty well. Everyone likes it when I write stories".

"Higher activity on the right side of the brain creating a higher imagination and a limited visual memory for patterns and sequences. It is not uncommon therefore on no accounts are you special or interesting which you aren't trying to be seeing as you are socially awkward and hadn't intended on conversing so, and do answer this correctly for your own sake, why are you even talking?"

Sherlock had expected her to be embarrassed, sure he hadn't deduced her properly, but he thought she'd want to leave or give up on the attempts of whatever she was trying to do.

On no accounts did he expect her to look over his shoulder at the clock and begin to giggle childishly.

"You said you were bored".

Sherlock's eyes widened a fraction, "go on…"

"You're right, I was here in the first place just to be nosy and then I heard you say you were bored. Challenge accepted and challenge complete, I've just kept you entertained for ten minutes".

Lianna grinned manically after she had finished talking and then turned on her heel, sweeping dramatically out of the flat without so much as a goodbye, leaving Sherlock to mull over what he had been told.

She was right, she had engaged him to a point that his boredom had stopped, normally he'd be telling people to shut up because they were making him more bored than ever. This girl had led a conversation with him that, although had been confusing, had interested him without him even realising it.

At that moment Sherlock Holmes, London's genius, realised that he had been played by a sixteen year old who had used him to her own amusement. And for god knows how long, Sherlock would have to put up with her because there was no one else here…

Sherlock went back to blaming John.

**Reviews?**

**Also, if anyone wants to be a Beta for this story then please PM me, I'm also going to start a Sherlock prompt story where you can PM me a word or a sentence and I will write a chapter based on it, if anyone wants to start sending me prompts so I can kick the story off then I will be so grateful xxx**


	2. Silk Shirts, Dates and Mycroft

**Thank you all so much for the kind reviews! Hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

**Silk Shirts, Dates and Mycroft.**

"Sherlock! Sherlock open the door. SHERLOCK!"

The detective scowled at the door, the incessant knocking and screaming had broken through a really important thought of his; what could the little scamp possible want that was worth all of this drama?

He was of course talking about Lianna. The kid had been living here now for 3 days and she was driving Sherlock up the wall with the loud music and the running around and the non-stop chatter. She was like an untrained puppy that refused to behave.

"Sherlock if you don't open this door right now I will kick it down. That is a promise"

He'd locked it to stop people from barging in. Next time he'd lock her in her own room.

Sherlock sighed in annoyance and marched towards the door, dragging his feet a little as though the world was purposely punishing him by sending this girl to torment him.

"I hope this is important or else-"He'd barely finished before Lianna came rushing around him and into the flat.

"Is there something you're looking for?" With raised eyebrows he watched as she looked under the cushions of the couch and then stood looking around in a circle, as if she didn't know what move to make next.

"Your purple shirt, the one Nan was washing last week. Do you have it?"

"My shirt? What would you want that for?"

The shirt was expensive, with it being 100% silk there was no way he was letting her ruin it.

"Please Sherlock I just need to try it on; I won't ruin it I promise!"

He was a little taken aback about how she was acting; she looked close to pulling her hair out.

"It's in the bedroom in the bottom cupboard; if I spot even a slight tear in it then you'll be in trouble".

Lianna literally squeaked and ran off to the bedroom. With a shake of his head he plonked himself back down on the couch and awaited her return. He'd never be able to understand the younger generation.

As time ticked by, Sherlock ran through his memory of the past five minutes and observed what he had seen of Lianna's body language and behaviour.

In a rush, nervous, jittery, worried…first date then.

Sherlock scowled at the thought of this, if Lianna wanted to borrow his silk shirt then that could only mean one thing: she wanted a more expensive and adult look to secure someone that was a bit out of her depth, either that or she was feeling insecure about her looks and wanted to seem confident.

Running through his memory of her appearance on arrival, he saw that she was wearing opaque tights, diamanté high heels and a long top that no doubt she was changing to his shirt. Her face had been decorated with a careful appliance of eye-shadow and red lipstick, a shade that was posh but not tarty. The kind you see celebrity women wearing.

She was definitely going for the expensive look then. Who was this boy that she classed out of her reach?

"Sherlock, what do you think? Can I borrow it?"

Looking up, he was stunned to see his shirt fit her like a short dress. She'd rolled the sleeves up three quarter and had wrapped a black sash around the middle to emphasise that smallness of her waist and give more volume to her slim hips. She really was making too much of an effort.

At that moment Sherlock felt like an overprotective father.

"Who's the boy you're meeting that you think is so out of your reach?"

Lianna looked shocked for a moment but then rolled her eyes, obviously remembering who she was talking to.

"His name is Harvey; he goes to Nan's shop every Tuesday evening after he's finished at University. He's having a party tonight and I've been invited".

"And you think because he's smart and probably rich, you need to appear well off yourself to secure him as a boyfriend?"

"I'm not securing him as anything! I just want to look nice is all"

"Lianna, you hate high heels and you hate parties. The only reason you're going to this one is because you've had a crush on him for weeks. Let me tell you this, he is definitely not rich and he isn't at all that clever, his shoes are a cast off from his father and have been polished so many times to appear new, his trousers have been let down at the hem twice so two growth spurts and the cuffs of his shirt are fraying. All in all? He hasn't had new clothes in quite a while and only appears to look well off so that he can impress silly, naïve girls like yourself".

"And the not being smart bit?" Lianna was red in the face at this point.

"Beginner's Math and Biology in his bag but from overhearing your conversations with Mrs Hudson, he's in his 3rd year. He's failing at his courses".

"Look, I'm not even going to ask how you know all of that" She uncrossed her arms and made her way to the door, "right now you are wasting my time. I'm going to this party".

"Lianna, you are not going" Sherlock didn't know where this overprotectiveness had come from, but right now there was no chance he was going to let her through that door.

"Nan's letting me go"

"No, your Nan is letting you go to your friend Katie's house. But that isn't where you are going is it?"

"Will you STOP listening in to my conversations? Jeez you're meant to be an adult but you act like a spoilt brat!"

"And right now you are a spoilt and stroppy teenager!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"See, you're so immature!"

"Say's the girl arguing about a stupid party and a guy who doesn't know what 9 plus 9 is!"

"Uh I hate you!"

"Am I interrupting something here?"

A drawling, posh voice broke through their argument and Sherlock, who knew that voice well, closed his eyes to try and quell his anger. The world hated him today.

"Good evening to you too Mycroft, the door's right behind you. Do let it hit you on the way out".

The elder Holmes brother rolled his eyes at his brother's insolence.

"Sit down Sherlock, you too Lianna. You might be interested in what I have to say"

**Reviews please!**


	3. The chase begins

The twang of violin strings, sharp and annoying, echoed through the flat as the Holmes' brothers eyes each other with mutual distaste.

"There'd better be a good reason for you to be wasting my time Mycroft. You seem to have a habit of making trivial, pointless requests"

"Oh do be civil brother; if not for me then for Lianna, it wouldn't be fair to argue in her company after all"

Sherlock's eyebrows rose a few inches at this statement. 

"What's with the sudden interest in Lianna? You haven't ever met her before" 

"Every occupant in 221b is a concern of mine. Who do you think pays for the security for you all?" 

"You're lying. Tell me what you want with her" 

"Who wants what with me?" 

Both men looked up as the teen strolled into the room. She'd left to change into something more comfortable with it being obvious that she was going to miss the party, what with Sherlock holding her up with the silly argument they'd had, and now the elder Holmes wanting to speak with her.

"Miss Crowley it may be more appropriate if you sit down" Mycroft smiled politely to her; if Lianna was surprised that he'd known her last name, it didn't show.

"So I presume you're Mycroft Holmes?" Lianna asked, perching delicately on a chair "My Nan has told me about you sir"

"Just Mycroft will be fine thank you Lianna, you'll see me around from time to time, unfortunately I have to keep an eye on my brother seeing as he tends to get into trouble 24/7"

Lianna stifled a laugh as the detective shot his brother an angry look; she knew Sherlock didn't really like making a fool of.

"Your attempt at humour is pathetic. Get on with what you're here for and get out"

With a resigned sigh, Mycroft settled himself into the remaining chair in the flat and pushed a file, which had been stored in his hand, across the coffee table to Sherlock.

"You may be aware of the village watch the government had in progress, the surveillance of Mr John Kahns?"

"A suspect for being a member of the Salem gang, you're watching him but you've got no proof that says he is a member so you're asking me to do the job for you. I also know why you need Lianna to accompany me and the answer is no, I will not take her"

"Oh my god. Why are you saying no to everything?" Lianna scrunched up her face in annoyance but then looked confused.

"Hold on, what is it you actually want us to do Mycroft? Why am I needed?"

"Mr Kahns has been a suspect for a long time Sherlock, all we need is to get evidence that he is part of the gang and then we can infiltrate it, but we cannot do this without the child"

Lianna couldn't believe this, they were both talking over her and on top of that, Mycroft had the cheek to call her a child! She obviously wouldn't stand for that, no one talked over Lianna Crowley and got away with it.

Neither of the Holmes brothers noticed her walk into the kitchen to grab a large glass of water; they were both talking quite animatedly between each other, so it was the perfect set up for revenge.

If she could just get a good angle….

"Lianna!" Sherlock gasped as the cold water hit him and Mycroft square in the face, "What do you think you are doing?"

"Getting you two's attention, that's what. Now for starters, what is the Salem gang? It sounds like a couple of junkies going round wanting to be well hard when in fact they're just stupid. And Sherlock's on about not letting me go somewhere, yet I haven't the foggiest where I'm going, and to top it all off you called me a child Mycroft! It aint on okay?!"

Mycroft looked completely shocked at her outburst whereas Sherlock, however, looked a mixture of irritated and bored.

"Your vocabulary is atrocious" he drawled and stood up, taking the glass from her hand before she could chuck it at him, "and to answer your questions, the Salem gang is a gang that the government has been trying to put a stop to for years. They specialise in major vandalism and arson, but are very good at covering their tracks so that no one can go after them, which is why Mycroft wants me involved because obviously his men will have missed every clue visible that could have shut this gang down months ago"

"So we're going to catch the members of this gang?"

"Weren't you listening? You're not coming with me"

"Then why did Mycroft want me to go?" She put her hands on her hips and glared at Sherlock, her eyes were so full of venom that he actually winced.

"I wanted you to go with Lianna because we have a situation that involves the help of someone your age. The village is a small, rural area with only forty occupants, all of which are families with children. For Sherlock to go to the village alone would be out of place and could easily make him a target of suspicion and would make the investigation a lot harder. Also-"

Mycroft cut off at this point, it was as if the words tasted bad in his mouth and he was having trouble getting them out.

"Also, Mr Kahns is a teacher at the school. There'll need to be someone to survey him during the school day and I can't get one of my people into the school, there are no positions available".

Lianna raised an eyebrow at Sherlock, "So all I have to do is see if the teacher's dodgy and that's it? Why can't I do that?"

"It will be dangerous. If the gang discover that we are investigating them, you could be in big trouble"

"Sherlock, you're just making me want to do it even more now. I'm coming with you okay?!"

"Mycroft only wants you to go because he's messed up! We can wait till John gets back"

"You'll go now Sherlock. Lianna will be in no danger whatsoever; it's only surveillance whilst you do the detection work. I can't understand why you are being so dramatic"

Sherlock looked between his brother and the girl, one was looking at him in expectation whilst the other was glaring and fidgeting. Why on earth was he being bullied into this?

"Mrs Hudson will not stand for this. She'd never let Lianna go"

"I've already said yes dear, Mycroft has ensured her safety and besides, she's already been on about following you to a crime scene"

Lianna grinned as her Nan walked in and set a tea tray down, she knew that really Mrs Hudson was fretting dreadfully about her safety, but she'd not deny her when she knew she really did want to accompany Sherlock on one of his adventures.

Knowing he was outnumbered and was going to be badgered even more if he refused, he grabbed his coat and slung it over his shoulder, indicating that she too should grab hers.

"You'd best pack a bag; I assume you've got lodgings ready?"

"Of course brother, being prepared is in my nature of course"

"Right then, time to bring a gang down".

**Wooo the chase is on! I hope you enjoyed it **


	4. Psst Heya Guys!

Hello Loves!

Just a quick note to ask: does this story need a beta? If it does, does anyone want to beta it for me?

Ta dearies, thank you to all who have reviewed xxxx


	5. Terrorizing train workers

There seemed to be a staring contest going on between the man and girl on the train. Onlookers would sit watching, amused as neither of the two moved their gaze; locked in a battle without any movement or words.

It had been Lianna who had started it, Sherlock reassured himself, as he indulged her childish game. She had managed to catch his gaze at some point and since then had never dropped it whilst Sherlock, who wasn't one to pass up a challenge, glared back intensely. The child hadn't even flinched.

"If you plan to stare for the remainder of the journey, I will become exceedingly annoyed." Still he didn't break the contact, both of them were too proud and immature.

"I'll stop when you do." Her eyebrows went up a fraction. It was either going to be her or him, neither wanted to be the loser.

"Do you think I'd give up that easily?"

"It would be tremendously boring if you did."

"You're blinking every two seconds, whereas before it was every five seconds, you're straining your eyes."

"Your frown lines have deepened."

"This is insanely childish. I'm willing to make a compromise."

"I'm listening, intently as ever."

Sherlock scowled at the pest and moved closer. "We both look away, at the same time."

"Then we both lose. That's no fun."

"Well, it's either that or we carry on and miss our stop. I thought you wanted to go on a case with me?"

He was playing her, which she was only too well aware of, but she also realised that he had a point. "Fine. Count of 3?"

"1, 2…"

"3!"

Neither of them moved.

"Ha! I knew you'd cheat, thought you were meant to be a genius?"

"Are you implying that geniuses do not cheat?"

"I'm implying a genius would have no need to cheat."

"Unless?"

"Unless he was up against another genius."

Sherlock burst into laughter at this, causing the teen to lean over and punch him in the arm, all the while still gazing intently into his eyes.

"I've proved it many times to you Lianna, you're not a genius."

"Is that so? Then why are you being beaten by me all the time?"

"Your 'tricks' are not conquests; they are merely childish pranks that you amuse yourself with."

"And yet you fall for them every time…"

"I play along. There is a difference."

Lianna opened her mouth to carry on the argument, but in the next second decided against it and instead reached a hand up to pat a disgruntled Sherlock on the head. "Yes you do, good boy."

"I'm not a dog Lianna."

"Yes you are. You're just like one."

"And how on earth did you make that deduction?"

"Because you're irritable and snap a lot, but then there are times when you're fun and play; just like a dog."

"Well if that is the case, you're a perfect chipmunk."

"A chipmunk?!" She screeched. "Why a chipmunk?"

"They are small, annoying and have round cheeks… like you."

"Okay forget the dog. You're an ass."

"So are you, you make as much noise as one."

"Um, excuse me?"

A tentative voice broke them out of their argument, which had been growing louder by the second and was attracting a lot of attention. However, both had been shocked at the sudden interruption, that they'd turned their heads to the source of the disruption, causing those who had been watching the game to gasp quietly.

"Yes? Can we help you?" Sherlock's tone was brisk and bordering on rude, causing the ticket attendant to shake a little.

"I need to look at your tickets sir, just to punch a hole in them."

With a reluctant sigh, Sherlock reached into his pocket, pulled out the two strips of paper and then handed them over to the woman, literally thrusting them into her grasp in impatience. With quick hands, the ticket woman punched a hole in both tickets and then threw them down on the table, scampering off as quickly as was polite before anyone could comment.

"Well that was interesting." Lianna sighed and sat back in her chair. "Now where were we…. Oh…"

Sherlock seemed to notice what had stopped her in her tracks as well, because his eyes grew wide and all the occupants around them seemed to edge away a bit; not that they noticed.

"She…"

"It seems she did."

"But just when we were…."

"Of course…."

Both were silent for a moment; obviously shocked about how everything had turned out with one interruption. However, the peace was not restored as after about a minute of silence, both the detective and the girl leaped out of their seats and, to everyone's amusement, ran after the poor woman.

"I could get you sued you know!" Everyone heard the child shout. "I was winning!"

"You were not! You'd have looked away way before I did."

"Well we would have found out, wouldn't we? SHE stopped us!"

"Don't worry about that; Mycroft practically owns England, it'll be easy to get rid of one train worker!"

"We can lock her up in a tower! Mycroft owns the palace, lady! He'll sort you out."

They shouldn't really have laughed, but everyone did agree that the scream from the ticket attendant was the funniest sound they'd heard all day; especially when the miscreants caught up with her.

**Okay, I am a little bit evil XD Hope you enjoyed.**


	6. Reasons and Revelations

After the fiasco on the train (and an angry phone call from Mycroft telling the pair of them to grow up), Sherlock and Lianna had been left to make their own way to the flat that the elder Holmes had picked out for them. Now that they'd had their fun, the atmosphere had turned relatively serious and both were rather bored.

"Why did you have to get us kicked off the train?" Lianna moaned and dragged her feet a little, "you didn't need to be quite so rude".

"Says the person who threatened to lock her in a tower. Besides, she was sleeping with her boss whilst married to another, why wouldn't I point that out?"

"Why would you point that out? Now we have to walk five miles seeing as there are no taxis, all because you couldn't stop being a smartarse for an hour".

"You'll survive."

Sherlock glared at the teen as she gave an irritated sigh. She was slowing him down and he knew that once they had started the case, she would only get in the way; he had no idea why Mycroft had wanted her to accompany him, or Mrs Hudson for that matter.

For the whole trip so far, he'd had to listen to endless complaints about school and homework, how she didn't like teachers and how she'd probably get into detention on the first day, and now he had to contend with a dull silence along with the occasional bored sigh. The detective couldn't decide which was more grating.

"Will you stop with the sighing? It isn't going to change any aspect of this situation and I'm close to sending you home, at least say something interesting if you're going to speak".

Lianna scowled, but she knew that she hadn't exactly been showing gratitude to him, which she should be seeing as he'd let her accompany him.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just not the most patient. Mum always said…"

Lianna cut off awkwardly and began walking a bit quicker; the tell-tale signs that she'd let on too much about herself.

Ever since moving in, Sherlock hadn't heard a word from the girl about her home life. She never spoke about her parents and when her mother phoned, Lianna rushed out of the room to avoid being found.

"Your relationship with your parents is strained isn't it? Particularly with your father".

The widening of her eyes proved his deduction, and she looked down at the ground.

"Let me guess, I had a stain on my jumper that told you that".

"You're defensive when you're in the company of males, even if they are strangers. You wrap your arms around your middle and stare at the floor, your heart rate quickens by ten-sixteen beats per minute and you can't control your blushing, your speech is stuttered and unconfident and you often look scared and alone. It's not something you do in the presence of females so you've had a strained relationship with a lead male in your life, your parents have no siblings and so the problem must lie with your father".

Lianna looked shocked at the accurate deduction and struggled to find the words that she wanted to say, "B-but, I don't act like that with you".

"Really? What are you doing now then?"

He nodded to her stomach, looking down she was startled to see that her arms were wrapped firmly around her middle as if she was trying to protect herself; she hadn't even realised she was doing it.

"You're not in control of it. Your father obviously had an impact on you mentally".

Though his statement sounded cold, Lianna was quite used to him and knew that he was just being truthful which was just how he was; she could always trust Sherlock to be to the point and honest. He wasn't unnecessarily cruel like her father had been.

"He…he was quite the perfectionist. From a young age he always drilled it into me how to become successful, how to keep my finances straight and how to get far in the world. He was a complete neat freak and would throw a fit if there was just one thing out of place in the house. With me being free-spirited and wanting to just go about my life without any of those worries; it made it hard for us to get on. He'd make me feel pressured and stupid, and when I didn't do everything perfectly he'd call me useless and shout at me all the time; I ended up feeling like I wasn't good enough for him".

"Your mother never stuck up for you did she? That's why you don't want to speak to her"

"She wasn't there when it mattered", her eyes were starting to water, but she refused to cry "She always took his side over everything, my feelings never mattered. They never saw me".

Sherlock knew exactly what she meant by that. Growing up, he'd been seen as the nerd, the freak, the weirdo. No one had ever seen him for Sherlock Holmes; until he'd met John and the others.

"Sherlock I…it doesn't matter".

"No. Don't do that. If you feel the need to tell me something then just say it. I'm not your father, so I'll probably listen; unless it's something terribly inconsequential."

She lifted her head up higher despite his brusqueness, showing that she trusted him enough to hear what she had to say. This simple act of confidence made his chest tighten as some form of emotion stirred inside of him.

"I want to stay Sherlock. In London with you and Nan. I like it here tons better than home" here she took a breath, as if what was to be said was a huge revelation.

"Back home I feel lost and alone, like I'm trying to find some way to get through each day but all the paths are twisted. Everyone at the school thinks I'm strange and they don't want to be friends with me, and then when I get home I just get lectured or shouted at. Here I feel free and people actually like me; I've found my own place here".

There was a silence after her speech, only the wind rustling through the trees was heard as he mulled over the heartfelt words. The child felt safe and stable here; when he was a child he'd have given anything to feel like that, to have found a place where he belonged.

"Sherlock? Can I ask you a question?"

At the sudden change in the conversation, he realised that she wasn't waiting for an opinion; all she had wanted was for him to listen. She had just wanted to get the feelings off her chest seeing as they'd built up over many years.

"You already did. But carry on".

"Why do you treat me different, than everyone else I mean?"

Slightly taken aback, he paused in front of her, causing her to stop as well. What had she meant by that? He treated her no different from everyone else.

"You really should be more specific Lianna, if you're referring to the fact I let you on the case, then you should realise it wasn't entirely my decision-"

"No not the case! I mean when we're alone, just us two, you're different. You're more patient and funny, and you can be quite protective at times. You just don't act as blunt when we ain't around others".

"Aren't around. It's aren't not ain't. If you're not going to speak properly then turn around right now and head home, I've no time for your ignorance"

"I'll speak proper if you stop avoiding my question" ,she'd used the wrong grammar on purpose to wind him up, the child always knew what she was doing and Sherlock couldn't say that she wasn't clever; she was actually very good at holding her own despite the confidence issues.

On seeing that her observations were fairly accurate, Sherlock decided that it really didn't matter if he told her the reasons behind his behaviour. It wouldn't do to shut her out when she'd obviously been restricted her whole childhood; she could handle the truth.

"You remind me of someone….."

**And we'll leave it there shall we? Reviews get the next chapter ;) Mwahaha I'm evil :D**

**To all those who haven't read May the games begin yet, it is a Sherlolly oneshot and it doesn't have many reviews at the moment so if you'd like to read and review, I'd be most grateful.**

**Also, if anyone thinks that this story needs a Beta, I'm up for offers **


	7. Balancing out

"You remind me of someone…"

The air grew still between them as a seemingly endless silence stretched out. Unbeknownst to Lianna, who was wondering what had changed in a single second, Sherlock's earlier enthusiasm towards sharing personal information had changed.

"Um…Sherlock? Who is it? You were telling me about someone."

Her voice was but an echo in the wind as he disappeared into his thoughts; memories were playing over and over again causing the realisation that, despite the openness of their relationship, he was unable to share a secret he'd long since buried. Exposing the truth would only deter him from the task at hand. The only way he ever completed cases was to be the way he always was; completely disconnected with no messy emotions to get in the way.

_Letting your emotions take control is not an advantage. This is what makes you weak._

Though thoroughly confused about the turn of events, it was the expression on the detective's face that Lianna understood best. The way his face hardened and his eyes grew cold was a sign that he had closed himself off; it was the only way he could put a cover on what the topic of conversation had brought back up. She had uncovered something that he longed to be forgotten. The ghosts of the past never forgot; they were always just round the corner, always ready to make an appearance.

"It's people like my brother who make the world a fiasco." There was no mistaking the venom in his tone and though, she didn't care for his coldness, his reasons for it were understandable.

"I did warn him that using all his resources would be a bad idea, now he's got no men to put on the front and it would cost too much time to sort out positions and undercover operatives, but as long as he's got control of the security cameras and police on backup he feels that he can put anyone into the firing line."

"You don't agree with his methods then."

It wasn't a question. She was going along with the change of conversation purely because she knew, deep beneath that hard exterior, Sherlock was working to patch up what wounds the memories that had been dragged up had reopened. She'd done it enough times herself to realise the signs; detach yourself from everything around you and the walls won't fall.

"Methods? There aren't any methods there. Mycroft clearly has no consideration for any aspect of anyone's safety, considering that he's put himself in such a bad position. If it were to get out that the government has failed to solve a simple case and catch a mediocre gang, he would surely by deemed unreliable and it would jeopardise his level of power." Staring her down, Sherlock appeared to give her the once over as if he was pitying her predicament. "You're his get out of jail free card. He needed someone at the school and would settle on an easy solution just so that he wasn't affected."

A flash of anger seemed to cross his face but, it was so quick that Lianna found herself questioning whether she'd imagined it.

Lianna scoffed. "Well, I can certainly disagree with one thing about Mycroft's 'plans'."

"Oh?" Quirking an eyebrow, he slowed his pace, now intrigued.

"Police for backup? You don't need backup."

"No I don't." His lips twitched into a weak smile at her faith in him. "But those idiots have to believe they're useful for something."

And with that, they both fell into a relaxing silence, the world passing by them unnoticed with each step; both of them soothed and at peace despite the task ahead.

In the silence, Sherlock could observe Lianna more closely and discover every thread of their relationship. He found that he could speak naturally to her and that only came because of her understanding. And, though her intellect would never be on par with his, she could make any conversation develop and thrive with such a passion that he was never dismissive of her. It seemed that there was a part of them which complimented the other, despite being undoubtedly different. They had this thing that wasn't quite a friendship in a general sense, where you were just a part of each other's lives purely because you liked each other, this was much more precious.

You can have many friends in your life and they could all give different accounts of how they saw you, none would ever look close enough and would just be content on being a part of your life, never thinking they needed to go any further because they had your friendship.  
With this, there was a mutual understanding that both craved and had never had before. It was where every layer was dug under and absorbed, getting to know ever hidden part whilst still acknowledging what they showed. Whilst they had their deepest secrets locked away, they were still discovering new things that developed the bond between them.

When the two of them were together the world was blocked out, giving them the room they needed for thought and expression, debates and creation; something that they couldn't appreciate when they were in the day to day running of society. With this sort of relationship, a person could live a lifetime without it and be perfectly content. But if it is there, your heart would be damned if you let it go.

"Sherlock… why did you say yes in the end?"

He rolled his eyes at this; she could never keep silent for long. "Otherwise I would have been forced or given a complete imbecile to work with. I was all for you staying at home."

"You don't let anyone force you into anything."

There it was. A few weeks at 221B and he was already an open book to her. No one had ever gotten past his walls without being let in before.

"Well, despite being undoubtedly irritating, I've found your company surprisingly useful. It was either I bring you along or I bring the skull."

"Let's face it; I'm cleverer."

Suddenly, the cold wash of dread that had been lying dormant in his heart swooped over him in full force. These words had tweaked something inside of him and Sherlock knew, though he'd never admit it, that he was afraid for her. He had heard those same words before…

"You're not as bright as you think." He was determined to put her in her place to stop history repeating himself. "Don't overestimate yourself; the higher you build yourself up, the harder you will fall."

Again, she knew that coldness was masking something else. "And what of you underestimating me?"

It was said softly. People always underestimated her abilities and she was never allowed to shine. From his own experience, Sherlock knew a child had to be allowed to fly in order to feel free.

Stopping them both in their tracks he crouched down before her so that they were eye-to-eye, holding her gaze with such intensity that she didn't dare to look away. "Don't ever stand for someone telling you what you can do. If a few simple words are what stop you, then quit now. There's no place in this life if you can't stand on your own feet. The control should always be yours, as it is you who decides. You make the climb or take the fall."

"So… I have to know limits but do what I want? That's a bit cryptic."

"There is a line between everything, Lianna. You can be loving but end up being gullible, selfish but bored. To thrive you have to know how to walk that line without falling off either side."

With this explanation, Lianna finally understood. "Like the Ying and the Yang? Finding a balance of both sides."

Sherlock nodded, impressed at how she had grasped the situation. "A man can get to the top of the highest mountain, but if he didn't appreciate the journey then what was the point in the climb? It is not about how high you can get but how much you can discover along the way."

They didn't need to say anything else after that. Grabbing her arm, he forced her to speed up as the time for talking and revelations was over. He was now focused on the case now that she had answered the questions he had been thinking about for so long. What was their relationship? What were they to each other?

Simple. They were the Ying and the Yang. The balance to both sides and the balance to each other.

There we go Ok I know I didn't answer the question on who Lianna reminded him of, SORRY! But you will find out, after the case ;) reviews get updates quicker haha!


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